Overview
Sophie David joined chambers after her successful completion of pupillage in October 2022. Since then, Sophie has developed her practice across all areas of Chambers’ work.
Sophie frequently appears in employment tribunals in both preliminary and substantive hearings. She has been successful in a range of unfair dismissal and discrimination claims, including a 5-day pregnancy-discrimination claim against the Home Office, and an application for interim relief on the part of a Pizza Pilgrims worker allegedly dismissed for union-related activities.
Sophie has a busy personal injury practice, which includes drafting, advisory work, and appearances in CCMCs, applications and trials. Recent work has included advising on and drafting Grounds of Appeal in relation to an Armed Forces Compensation Scheme claim involving psychiatric injury. Sophie is currently seeking to develop her interest in clinical negligence, which began when working at a Canadian law firm (Lenczner Slaght LLP) on cases involving serious and fatal injury.
Sophie has a particular interest in workplace investigations. She has assisted various members of Chambers on investigations across a range of organisations. Particularly, she assisted Elizabeth Melville on a sensitive workplace investigation at a Premier League football club, including by conducting witness interviews. She has recently assisted Jack Mitchell on a complex and document-heavy investigation within the Trade Union sector.
During pupillage Sophie was supervised by Toby Kempster, with whom she gained experience of personal injury cases, including a range of drafting and advisory work. She was then supervised by Jack Mitchell whose focus was on complex whistleblowing cases in a variety of sectors, including healthcare, finance, and education, and with whom she gained experience of drafting, advising and acting in employment disputes. She was then supervised by Robert Moretto, with whom she gained exposure to governmental advisory work, judicial review cases, and judicial review appeals. Throughout her pupillage she assisted members of Chambers with a wide range of work, including investigations, disciplinary and regulatory work.
Before coming to the bar, Sophie was a Middle Temple Fox Scholar, and worked at Lenczner Slaght Royce Griffin Smith LLP, Canada’s leading litigation firm. There she worked across a range of high value commercial cases, company disputes, and clinical negligence cases. Some of that work involved assisting with the drafting of advice in relation to high-earning employees’ contracts and directors’ obligations. The scholarship built on her commercial experience and understanding, which was fostered when working in financial services in New Zealand.
Sophie read History and English at the University of Auckland and maintains an interest in economic and environmental history.
Professional Recommendations
